Journalists' Day celebrated in Iran amid protests and imprisonment
Iran celebrated Journalists' Day on Tuesday against the backdrop of numerous prominent reporters still behind bars. August 8 is a day set aside in Iran to remember a state media reporter and eight Iranian diplomats killed in Afghanistan in 1988.
As reported by the Asharq al-Awsat media outlet, the Tehran Syndicate of Journalists has said that more than 100 journalists have been detained in Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, which sparked unprecedented protests.
"Journalism in the country is going through a dark period," said Akbar Montajabi, head of the Tehran Union of Journalists, noting that more than 100 journalists have been detained in the past 11 months.
"However, even with these arrests, the flow of information continues unstoppable and finds its way like water," he added.
In an article published in the daily Sazandegi, Montajabi said that the era of journalistic repression continues, with an increasing number of journalists being arrested, fired, censored or forced into exile. He insisted that "journalists are not adversaries" of the country.
"Those who stand firm, holding the torch of freedom, are not enemies. They do not cooperate with hostile governments; they are part and parcel of the people. Journalists reflect the pain the nation suffers," he wrote.
The mass demonstrations erupted in September 2022, following the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for violating Iran's strict female dress code.
Since then, more than 90 journalists have been detained or summoned in the last ten months in different cities across the country, according to the reformist daily Shargh.
Most have been released on bail or amnestied, but the fate of eleven journalists, including six detained and five others awaiting trial, "remains unknown", according to the report published on the occasion of National Journalists' Day in Iran.
The detained journalists include Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who covered Amini's death and have been detained since September. Hamedi broke the news of Amini's death and Mohammadi wrote about his funeral.
Hamedi works for the reformist Shargh newspaper, while Mohammadi works for the reformist Ham-Mihan newspaper. The two journalists have been charged with acting against national security and creating "propaganda against the system".
They are being held in Tehran's Evin prison, where they have been held for 320 days. Their separate trials concluded last month after two closed hearings, and the court is agreeing on a verdict.
VOA News reports that on Tuesday, the Ham-Mihan newspaper paid tribute to Journalists' Day by highlighting Mohammad and Hamedi on its front page.
In an article titled "Journalists: more alone than ever," the newspaper said, "Today's journalism has become more risky, like a daring adventure". The hard side of journalism is rooted in the way our society is today. Nothing seems to be in place, and everywhere you look there are problems popping up like crazy. People are unhappy about everything. But when we write about their pain, we have to be super careful with every word, lest our communication creates a problem".
Hundreds of people were killed and 20,000 arrested for their part in what the authorities have described as "riots" fomented by the West. The popular protests were the biggest challenge to the ruling regime in 43 years.
Media rights organisations report that at least 95 journalists have been detained in Iran since September 2022, at least 24 of whom were women. As a result, Iran has now assumed the unenviable distinction of being the world leader in the imprisonment of journalists and women journalists.
According to the World Press Freedom Index 2023, published by Reporters Without Borders on 3 May to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, Iran is considered one of the worst countries in the world in terms of press freedom. It has been ranked 177th out of 180 nations in global press freedom assessments, followed by Vietnam, China and North Korea.
As reported by Iran Wire, Iran has also been ranked as the worst country for the imprisonment of journalists in the world in the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) 2022 prison census, which documented those imprisoned as of 1 December.